The present invention relates to medical devices. More specifically, the invention relates to infusion pumps that include touch screen graphical user interfaces.
Graphical user interfaces for medical devices that display patient and treatment information have improved clinician efficiency when caring for patients. However, a challenge for designing graphical user interfaces is the need to balance the amount of information displayed on any one screen viewable by the clinician with the need to create a device that is easy to read and navigate. Too often the user is presented with an overwhelming amount of information, impeding the interaction between the user and the user interface.
Additionally, medical devices, including medical pumps, can be complicated and time-consuming for caregivers to program. The need for an improved graphical interface is critical to maintain efficiency of patient care and to reduce potential clinical errors and thereby improve patient safety. Device interfaces that increase input efficiency and accuracy are critical to improve patient safety and therapy.
Graphical user interface design must also take into account strict design parameters as well as safety parameters. As a result, many medical devices do not provide flexibility in programming parameters, neither for the administrator nor for the clinician.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a medical device that includes a graphical user interface that is easier to navigate, that allows for easier programming of the medical device and that increases efficiency and accuracy of the clinician programming and navigation.
Typically, medical pump systems or medication management systems present two types of screens; a far view screen that is often considered a default screen that is presented when the system is not being actively programmed and a near view screen that is provided when data is being entered into the touch screen. Thus, the near view screen generally presents buttons, fields, and keys that are related to selecting, programming, confirming, starting and stopping a particular infusion therapy. The near view screen provides the user with the means and opportunity to enter the necessary medical data to program the pump to deliver a medical therapy or infusion. Until recently, the far view screen on the other hand has been used merely to indicate an idle or waiting status of the pump or to display in larger text size the status of an on-going infusion therapy. U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0183105, a parent of the present application and incorporated in its entirety herein presents and claims the use of a far view screen that utilizes a titration button on the far view screen so that a user quickly gets into and navigates directly to a near view screen, or data entry screen that is associated with the quick titration. However, problems remain. When other data needs to be entered into a near view screen time is wasted going from the far view screen to the near view screen. Specifically, one must still touch the titration button or touch a tab or another spot on the far view screen or go through the menu so that the near view screen can be accessed to start or stop the pump or enter medical data to program the pump.
Therefore, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a medical pump system that has improved programming speed.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a medical pump system that allows more efficient work flow for a clinician.
These and other objects, features or advantages will become apparent from the specification and claims.